----* CompleteMonster:** ComicBook/TheJoker serves as the OverarchingVillain of the series. The ArchEnemy of Batman, Joker regularly commits crimes solely to torture his nemesis throughout the series. When first [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins establishing himself in Gotham]], Joker hijacked Black Mask's organization, and used his influence to torture and murder innocents, along with bombing multiple buildings across the city. In [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum one notable instance]], Joker staged a breakout at Arkham Asylum, ensuring the slaughter of as many people as possible. Left dying of a TITAN overdose in the wake of this incident, Joker [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity forces Batman to find a cure for his condition]] by poisoning more than two thousand people with his infected blood; he also executes Batman's LoveInterest, Talia Al Ghul, right in front of him. [[BadBoss Caring nothing for his subordinates]], The Joker regularly abuses his "girlfriend," Harley Quinn, and tortures and murders his henchmen, along with threatening their family members, for fun. Even after his death, [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight flashbacks further show his wicked deeds]], such as crippling Barbara Gordon and [[ColdBloodedTorture physically]] and [[MindRape psychologically]] torturing [[spoiler: Jason Todd]] for months, then sending Batman videotapes of said torture; this torture resulted in [[spoiler:Jason]] becoming the Arkham Knight. Tie-in material only adds to his list of crimes, with [[WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham trying to blow up Gotham City]] and rigging fireworks with Joker toxin that kills hundreds (the latter seen in the digital comic, ''Arkham City: End Game'') being just a few of his extra depravities. A narcissistic {{sadist}} with a [[AttentionWhore pathological need for attention]], the Joker is determined to make Gotham forever remember him by [[CardCarryingVillain writing his name in the city with blood]].** The Scarecrow, [[PsychoPsychologist Dr. Jonathan Crane]], is a MadScientist dedicated to the study of fear. First appearing in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'', he participates in Joker's plan to take over the titular asylum and attempts to MindRape Batman several times with his fear toxin. Upon his final defeat, he threatens to contaminate Gotham's water supply with the toxin simply to spite Batman. Scarecrow returns in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' as the BigBad. This time around, he takes advantage of the [[EvilPowerVacuum power vacuum created by Joker's death]] and [[VillainTeamUp unites all the remaining villains]] against Batman. After a demonstration of his newest fear toxin causes a diner full of people to rip each other apart, Gotham is evacuated, allowing Scarecrow to take over a chemical plant and manufacture a fear bomb powerful enough to take out the eastern seaboard. He even gleefully speculates that the toxin will carry on the air across the county, creating a "nation of fear." Foiled in this, he steals a superweapon called the Cloudburst and uses it to drive all of Gotham temporarily mad with fear. He also has Barbara Gordon kidnapped and leads Batman to believe that [[spoiler:his toxin caused her to kill herself]]. He then manipulates Commissioner Gordon into betraying Batman, and, after the Commissioner goes against orders and seemingly kills him, Scarecrow [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forces Jim to watch]] as he drops the still-living Barbara off of a building]]. In the end, he captures Batman and forces Gordon to [[spoiler:unmask him]] on live TV. He then plans on letting Batman go [[CruelMercy so he can watch as Gotham is torn apart and everyone he loves is hunted down and killed.]] All of this was done to completely destroy the myth of the Batman as a savior, and force everyone to experience true fear by [[HopeCrusher destroying their symbol of hope]].%%Do NOT add in any villains without going to the cleanup thread first.* ContinuityLockout: In two ways.** Due to being a four-game story, there are details (Batman and Joker's [[spoiler:Titan Poisoning]] in ''City'', Deathstroke's sudden appearance in ''Knight'') that won't make sense unless you've played the other ones. ** Some plot points require at least some cursory knowledge of the comic books, though the games rectify this somewhat by giving you profiles regarding characters, but still occasionally falls into this trope, particularly in the case of [[spoiler:Jason Todd]], whose presence was almost completely absent until ''Knight''.* CounterpartComparison: TheJoker has drawn some comparisons to Handsome Jack in the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' series. They're both narcissistic villains who [[spoiler: die]] in [[VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}} the second game]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity in the series]], their origins were revealed in [[VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel a prequel released]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins after the second game]], and they [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands return in the most recent game in the series]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight in a metaphysical form within the hero's head and they try getting said hero to break]]]].* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Arkhamverse version of Harley Quinn is one of the more popular secondary villains, going from a supporting role in the first two games, to being the BigBad of her own [=DLC=], to being fully playable in ''Arkham Knight''. Harley's portrayal in the games also raised to profile of the comics version. ** Scarecrow. His nightmare sequences in ''Arkham Asylum'' were considered some of the best parts in the game. When he was absent in ''Arkham City,'' people were disappointed. This may have something to do with him being promoted to BigBad in ''Arkham Knight,'' where he is subjected to a lot of AdaptationalBadass-ery.* EscapistCharacter: Batman, as usual.* EvilIsCool: The villains are usually the most well-written characters featured in each game. The Joker, Scarecrow, and the Arkham Knight are probably the best examples.* EvilIsSexy: If you find yourself having the hots for Harley Quinn ([[EvenTheGirlsWantHer even if you're a straight girl]]) in this adaptation, you're not the only one.** Poison Ivy could also count. As well as Candy, Tracey, Shiva, and even Copperhead in ''Arkham Origins''.* FoeYay: All four games illustrate this in Joker and Batman's relationship. Starting early in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' with Joker: "Tell me Bats, what are you really scared of? Failing to save this cesspool of a city? Not finding the Commissioner in time? [[BrainBleach Me, in a thong?!]]" and that the premise of the whole night was a party Joker threw for Batman. Then continuing in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' with the increasing phone calls from Joker to Batman, the [[spoiler: final death scene with Batman carrying Joker out in his arms, and Joker's swan song to Batman.]] Given their beginnings in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' when [[spoiler: Joker's obsession with Batman begins, including his Red Hood story and his mention of "meeting someone very special earlier tonight", and another song for Batman during the credits.]] And finally culminating in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' with [[spoiler: Hallucination!Joker mentioning over and over again being inside of Batman, the heavy indicators that Joker's death affected him so much that he could never return to normal (not even Talia's death is mentioned that much), and the serenade number Hallucination!Joker performed with a little help from Johnny Charisma]]. Catwoman even makes a dig at the relationship in ''Knight'', and how Batman should [[spoiler:stop mourning him and "find new maniacs"]]. The whole VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries arguably reads like an overall story of Batman and Joker's relationship.* FranchiseOriginalSin: ** While all the games are generally well reviewed and well received, the prominence of the Joker as really the primary bad guy among everyone else has been criticized, as it lead to the detriment of other villains having a chance at truly taking stage. ''Origins'' in particular has a very strong story with or without the Joker being involved, as many fans were excited thinking Black Mask [[RedHerring was going to be a more prominent villain than he was]]. [[spoiler: As it turns out, not even being KilledOffForReal in a franchise where he's explicitly stripped of his JokerImmunity can stop him from being a PosthumousCharacter in ''Harley Quinn's Revenge'' and ''Arkham Knight''.]]** The series and its poor track record with making good boss fights is another example. The original game was criticized for reusing the same bullfight setup with Bane or opting for thug attack waves instead of direct battles for most of its encounters with any other boss fights being deemed lackluster or boring (with the possible exception of the penultimate battle with Poison Ivy). While City was praised for having the famous Mr. Freeze showdown and more original boss fights, overall it remained a criticism due to the presence of several (albeit mostly justified) AntiClimaxBoss segments. Interestingly enough, ''Origins'', a secondary game made by a different studio, was widely praised in its handling of boss battles, making it appear to be an inversion at first. However, ''Knight'' notably lacked several proper boss fights with Deathstroke being a notable target of hate while many combat encounters with thugs and Batmobile tank battles filled their place. This in particular has gotten enough backlash to the point of heavily contributing to the game's ContestedSequel status as a result.* GoodBadBugs: For both ''Asylum'' and ''City'', Batman's quick ground takedown consisted of straddling a prone thug and punching him in the head, but due to the target rolling back and forth while dazed, the combat animation could randomly flip him around and have Batman hit him straight in [[GroinAttack the pelvis]] [[AssShove or tailbone]]. While ''Origins'' tried to correct this mistake, it also introduced a variation where Batman leaned down and punched the victim's ribs, which sometimes meant he accidentally shoved his face into goons' crotches. It was finally fixed in ''Knight'', where Batman leaps to the side before striking.* HarsherInHindsight: How shall we put it? ComicBook/TheJoker himself has been a DeathSeeker from the very beginning of the series. [[spoiler:In ''Arkham Origins'', he tries to shoot himself in the head in order [[DrivenToSuicide to end it all]], but [[SaveTheVillain Batman stops him from doing so]] for reasons he can't comprehend. In ''Arkham Asylum'', after the Joker says, "I have nothing left to live for," he ''does'' shoot himself, but with a Titan formula gun to the throat. His "suicide" is very painfully slow, as it takes a year for the Titan poisoning to course through his bloodstream before his death and its nature complete their course at the end of ''Arkham City'', in fulfillment of his deserving to die as a monster, all the while Batman is unable to intervene with him.]]* {{Headscratchers}}: How does the explosive gel not blow up inside of the can when Batman presses the button?* HilariousInHindsight: Casting Creator/WallyWingert as the voice of The Riddler, an InsufferableGenius who frequently gloats about being smarter than the people around him, after he voiced the [[PsychoRangers Blue Psycho Ranger]] in ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'', whose group boasted about being better than the Power Rangers with the Blue one boasting about them being smarter.** The comments section on Destructoid had a RunningGag about which infamous C-list Batman villains [[SarcasmMode they'd love to see]] in the Arkham games, with the most common target for ridicule being Professor Pyg. Lazlo Valentin would eventually get a sidequest to himself in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight''.** In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', Creator/TroyBaker voices a young Joker who seems to use [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke the Red Hood]] as the preferred branch of his MultipleChoicePast. In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', [[spoiler: Troy plays the [[AntagonistTitle subtitular Arkham Knight]], later revealed to be Jason Todd, who like in the comics had previously been the second Red Hood]].*** There's also the fact that Troy's roles in the ''Arkham'' games, along with his roles in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' & the ''LEGO Batman'' games, mean that he's voiced all of the male members of the Bat Family, and a couple of their enemies too.* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: The Arkham VR game starts off with the death of Nightwing, and near the end[[spoiler: Killer Croc takes a bite out of Robin,]] which few people believed would stick. [[spoiler: It also takes place between City and Knight, and is a hallucination/dream sequence.]]* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: Not only are these considered the best ''Batman'' games ever made, not ''only'' are they considered to be among the best licensed games ever made, they're often placed in the top tier of character action games ever made, ''period''. They are arguably the trope's MostTriumphantExample. Related to this is...* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Rocksteady Studios developed the ''Arkham'' IP and did it so well their [[CreatorWorship popularity exploded]]. So when ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' was announced as being developed by Warner Bros. Montreal -- essentially a stop-gap game to fill time while Rocksteady was busy making ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' -- there was genuine concern about how the game would turn out. However, despite lacking [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks serious gameplay changes]] and [[GoodBadBugs the polish]] of Rocksteady's games, ''Origins'' was well received as an expansion of the ''Arkham'' universe, with some consider it to have a very compelling story, dialogue and more varied boss battles than the first two games (though the general consensus is that the best boss battle is the Mr. Freeze fight of Arkham City). Furthermore, ''Knight'''s status as a ContestedSequel and the problems and controversy of its PC Port (which Rocksteady had no involvement in developing) has led to Arkham Origins being better regarded by some, especially since some fans opposed the introduction of the Batmobile. * [[PolishedPort Polished Port]][[PortingDisaster ing Disaster]]: Return to arkham has much better character models and graphicd, and adds some details to the games, but this comes at the cost of unreliable framerate and downgrading some other effects. According to some, the framerates are actually worse than before.* SpecialEffectsFailure: The trailer for the ''Return to Arkham'' collection (''Asylum'' and ''City'', remastered with more advanced textures and lighting effects for the [=PlayStation=] 4 and Xbox One) was met with considerable criticism, with many alleging that although the environments were vastly improved, [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pEXmZUtzacU/maxresdefault.jpg the new cutscenes looked far LESS cinematic and improperly composited under the new lights]] (keep in mind, the remaster is the one on the '''left''').* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: It's made perfectly clear that this game series was not aimed at children, with ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Arkham Knight]]'' even getting slapped with an [[MatureRating M rating]], but that didn't stop kids from purchasing it. The series is full of brutal death, intense violence, psychological horror, sexual content, corruption, and of course Batman and his villains acting more nightmarish than ever before, all packaged along with extremely dark themes and storylines that can be chilling from their concepts alone. There's a very good argument to be made that they are '''the''' darkest ''Batman'' adaptations ever made. Unfortunately, there were still some families that thought it was okay to buy for kids simply because it had Batman. Needless to say, people were shocked.* WTHCastingAgency:** This pretty much sums up many fans' reaction to the fact that Commissioner Gordon ''keeps'' getting recast. Across the whole franchise, he's had '''five''' voice actors[[note]]Creator/RickDWasserman voiced a young Gordon in ''Asylum'', but that was TimeShiftedActor[[/note]], going from Creator/TomKane in ''Asylum'', to Creator/DavidKaye in ''City'', to Michael Gough in ''Origins'' and ''Blackgate'', to Creator/ChrisCox in ''Assault on Arkham'', to Creator/JonathanBanks in ''Knight''.** There's also the matter of Creator/TroyBaker and how many different characters he plays- first he's Two Face and Robin in ''City,'' then Joker in ''Origins,'' and '''then''' the Arkham Knight/[[spoiler: Jason Todd]] in ''Knight.'' That's overall five different characters done by one actor, which had several fans aghast, especially since Baker has appeared in nearly every major video game released in the past four to five years.----